Christians held services directly under the feet of the cruel Romans,
who were passing overhead without suspecting what was going on so near
to them.

But Prisca scorned to use any precaution. Small and defenseless though
she was, she did not fear to tell every one what she believed and Whose
Cross she followed. So she soon became known as a firm little Christian
maiden. And there were people in the city cruel enough and wicked enough
to hate even a little child-Christian and to wish her evil.

These persons reported to the Emperor's officers her brave words of
faith, and told them how she would not sacrifice to the Roman gods as
the other children did. So very soon she was seized by the guards and
brought before the Emperor.

Claudius looked at the little maid in surprise to find her so young. And
he thought: "Ho! I shall easily make this small Christian change her
mind and obey me." And he bade his men take her to the temple of Apollo
and make her offer incense to the beautiful god of the silver bow. So
they carried her to the top of the Palatine, one of the seven hills on
which Rome was built.

[Illustration: SAINT PRISCA]

They first passed under a great marble arch and came into a fair
courtyard surrounded by fifty-two marble pillars. In the centre of this
space stood the temple of Apollo, the most magnificent building in all
Rome. With its ivory gates and wonderful groups of statues, its inlaid
marble floors and altars wreathed with flowers, its golden tripods
breathing incense, its lamps and beautiful silver vases, it was a very
different place from the bare, dark caverns in which the Christians
worshiped. In front of the temple was a group of four oxen made of
bronze, and in the centre of this group burned a fire upon a golden
tripod. This was the altar to Apollo, the sun-god, whose enormous
golden statue, in his four-horse chariot, stood over the door of the
temple just above. He was the likeness of a beautiful youth with a
wreath of bay about his head, carrying a bow in his hand, with which
Apollo was believed to shoot the sunbeams down upon the earth.

They thrust incense into Prisca's hand and bade her throw a few grains
into the fire in honor of the beautiful god of the sun. It seemed a very
simple thing to do, to save her life,--just to scatter a handful of dark
powder on the flames. Prisca loved the dear sun as well as any one, but
she knew it was foolish to believe that he was a god, and wicked to